United Plankton Charitable Trust
United Plankton Charitable Trust is a private charitable foundation established to support philanthropic initiatives. The organization operates as a charitable trust focused on making grants to qualified nonprofit organizations.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$8.3M
-5.2% YoY
Annual Giving
$3.4M
+249.7% YoY
Grant Count
17
+6.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$197K
+229.2% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, United Plankton Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $442K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $8,349,298 | $8,811,019 | $5,838,623 |
| Revenue | $2,557,678 | $3,294,506 | $274,567 |
| Expenses | $3,417,239 | $1,000,002 | $896,669 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $3,352,000 | $958,400 | $858,074 |
| Net Investment Income | $497,299 | $257,305 | $235,972 |
| Distributable Amount | $442,415 | $8,404 | $325,352 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
81 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include California Institute of the Arts ($1,000,000), Hammer Museum Los Angeles ($615,000), Cal Poly Humboldt Foundation ($345,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSE. | $5,000 |
| CAL POLY HUMBOLDT FOUNDATION ARCATA, CA | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSE. | $345,000 |
| CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS VALENCIA, CA | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSE.TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSE.TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSE. | $1,000,000 |
| HAMMER MUSEUM LOS ANGELES LOS ANGELES, CA | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSE. | $615,000 |
| HEART OF THE BRAIN LOS ANGELES, CA | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSE. | $100,000 |
| INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART LOS ANGELES, CA | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSE. | $250,000 |
| LACE LOS ANGELES, CA | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSE. | $50,000 |
| LAXART WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSE. | $25,000 |
| LCYC COMMUNITY SAILING FOUNDATION ISLESFORD, ME | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSE. | $5,000 |
| LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ASSOCIATION LOS ANGELES, CA | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S CHARITABLE PURPOSE. | $150,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| KAREN HILLENBURG | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The trust has provided grant support to marine ecological research initiatives, including funding for major marine survey projects that advance scientific understanding of ocean ecosystems.
Grant received to support the largest marine ecological survey in the world---
**Note:** The available verified sources contain limited information about United Plankton Charitable Trust's specific operations, grantmaking practices, financial details, leadership structure, and funding priorities. A comprehensive funder profile would require additional verified documentation such as the organization's Form 990-PF filings, official website, or published grant guidelines.
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What size grants does United Plankton Charitable Trust award?
In 2024, United Plankton Charitable Trust awarded 17 grants totaling $3.4M — an average of about $197K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is United Plankton Charitable Trust required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, United Plankton Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $442K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is United Plankton Charitable Trust's EIN?
United Plankton Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-6582607. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in United Plankton Charitable Trust's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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